You're Still the One
by luli27
Summary: Songfic based on Shania Twain's song. Brennan and Angela have a conversation while at a party thrown in Booth's honor.
1. Chapter 1

**You're Still the One**

**Disclaimer: **Nope, not mine. Wish they were, then I could really make them have some fun!

**A/N:** So, I got a new mp3 for Christmas and I was playing with it, trying to get all the songs I like in it. Which is harder than it sounds because it only holds about 450 songs, yeah, that should be enough, shouldn't it? It somehow isn't. But anyway, I was going to the songs and found one I haven't heard in a long time - Shania Twain's You're Still the One. I absolutely love that song and I could see BB dancing to it as soon as I heard it. And I knew I had to write a one shot; but me being me, I couldn't just write two or three pages and have them dance to it. Nope, I had to write a background for it - but I still dont know where this came from. It's somewhat different than my usual fics but it's still fluffly. I want to thank Puppet for her help betaing and Red for her feedback. I added a bit more fluff at the end since she asked so nicely! Now, please, read, enjoy and review!!!

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"Well, I never thought I'd see this day," Angela Montenegro-Hodgins commented, as she sipped her wine and looked around the room.

"What do you mean?" her best friend, Dr. Temperance Brennan asked, as she too gazed around the room, looking for the sight that had prompted that comment from the artist.

"This," Angela said, waving her hand around to indicate the whole room. "Booth willingly taking a promotion that takes him out of the field, before he absolutely has to, and us throwing him a party."

"Well, Angela," Brennan couldn't help correcting. "We didn't really throw this party; Booth's FBI friends insisted."

"Whatever," Angela said, disregarding that pesky detail. "And that's another thing I thought I'd never see," she added, shifting in her seat to better see Brennan, as she pointed to her. "You being so cool and collected about this whole thing."

"What else am I supposed to be?" Brennan asked, with a shrug, as she took a sip of her water.

"I'm not sure," Angela answered with a frown. "But this isn't what I expected," she said, thoughtfully. "I mean, you do realize that he won't be coming by the lab anymore, right?"

"Yes, I know that, Angela," Brennan said, with an amused smile.

"And you won't be going out into the field with him anymore, either," Angela insisted.

"Yes, I know that too, Ang," Brennan answered, with the same smile.

"You won't be working with him anymore, Bren," Angela persisted.

"I know that, Angela," Brennan said slowly, as if talking to a child. "You're going on as if I'm never going to see him again. He may not be my partner anymore," she added, with a shake of her head. "But he is still my husband, you know. We live together."

"I know that," Angela said. "But still, working together in the field used to be very important to you guys. I'm just surprised that he took that promotion. I would have sworn that he'd fight to stay a field agent until the last possible day."

"Yes, well," Brennan responded, as she played with her glass. "We talked about it and decided that this was for the best. This was the third time he was offered the promotion in the last year and his career might have been stalled if he didn't take it."

"Look at you," Angela said with a wide grin. "Acting like a wife, worried about her husband's career."

"How else am I supposed to act?" Brennan wanted to know. "I am his wife."

"Yes," Angela agreed. "It's just nice to see, that's all, even if it's the biggest surprise of all."

"Ummm," Brennan agreed. "Yes, I still remember your scream when I told you we were getting married."

"Well, you couldn't really blame me, could you?" Angela asked, with a grin as she thought back to that day almost two years ago. "You guys had been together for almost three years with nary a word about marriage. Heck, it took you almost two years to decide to move in together. And then one day you showed up at my office to tell me that you guys were getting married in two weeks! How could I have not been surprised?"

"You might have a point," Brennan allowed, with a small smile.

"And two weeks, Brennan!" Angela protested the fact she had complained about since the day she found Booth and Brennan were getting married. "That wasn't enough time to plan a proper wedding!"

"It was enough time to plan the wedding we wanted, Angela," Brennan defended her choice, as she always had. "It was small, intimate and simple; we didn't want anything else. Besides, you still found the time to throw us a party, didn't you?"

"Well," Angela said with a wide grin. "There _are_ some advantages to being a Hodgins."

"Besides being married to Jack, you mean?"

"Yes, besides that," Angela answered and her grin turned into a naughty smile. "Still, I have to admit, your wedding was beautiful and very much you guys."

"Thanks, Ang," Brennan said, sincerely with a far away look, as she remembered that special day. "It was beautiful, wasn't it?" She asked and Angela agreed again. And for a few minutes the two friends started reminiscing about both their weddings.

Maybe it was everyone's reaction to Booth's acceptance of his promotion, or maybe it was hormones that were making her sentimental or it might have been simply that a phase of her life was ending and that was making her look into the past. For whatever reason, she suddenly remembered all the remarks that had started flying around the moment she and Booth had announced they were a couple--and which hadn't stopped until months after the wedding.

She tried to shake those memories away; there was nothing to be gained from dwelling on it. It was in the past, over and down with, water under the bridge; but however many clichés she came up with, she still couldn't put them away. She tried to pay attention to Angela's comments but it was useless and she finally gave in and asked Angela about it.

"Hey, Angela," she said, stopping the artist mid-sentence. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, sweetie," Angela answered promptly, giving Brennan her full attention. "Go ahead."

"Did you ever think," she began only to pause for a moment. She had never asked Angela what she thought about it because she had never been quite sure what her friend's response would be and she hadn't wanted to open a can of worms she wouldn't have known how to close afterwards. But she needed to know the answer, "back when Booth and I first started dating, that maybe we wouldn't make it?"

"Ah, sweetie," Angela said after a few moment's pause. "What makes you ask that?"

The pause, and the question in lieu of an answer, was answer enough. And Brennan just nodded and said, "I see," not bothering to answer Angela's question.

"Sweetie," Angela said again, as she reached forward and took Brennan's hand. "I . . . yes, there were certain moments where I thought that maybe you guys wouldn't be able to make it work," she finally admitted, quietly.

"I see," Brennan repeated, just as quietly. "Why?" She asked, as she looked into Angela's distressed eyes. "You were always the one that pushed me towards him; you were always going on and on about how we were meant to be together; that we're soul mates or some such thing. Was that a lie?"

"No, of course not," Angela denied, vehemently. "I've always believed that . . . I still think that," she reaffirmed.

"Then why?" Brennan persisted. "If you thought we loved each other so much, why did you ever think that we wouldn't make it? How could you have thought both things at the same time?"

"Oh, sweetie," Angela said, shaking her head. Trust Brennan to ask the tough questions. "As important as love is to a relationship, it unfortunately is not the only thing that will make or break one. For a relationship to be successful, the couple needs not only to love each other, but to be completely committed to it, to trust each other above all things, to communicate with each other and to be wiling and able to compromise. And you guys," she paused and shook her head again. "Well, you had the love and the trust and maybe even the communication but you weren't very good at the compromise part of it."

"How can you say that?" Brennan demanded, somewhat insulted. "We've always comprised! That was what made us so strong!" she argued.

"No, sweetie," Angela denied and then held up a hand to stop Brennan from arguing again. "Look, you and Booth, you guys have gone through different stages in your relationship. First you were partners and friends – and that's good. And yes, as partners and friends you guys were very good at compromising but that changed once you began a romantic relationship."

"I don't see the difference," Brennan said, stubbornly. Angela took a deep breath and prepared to explain what she'd spent months trying to understand.

"When you were partners, it was easy for you guys to compromise. You'd always had very defined areas of expertise and, whatever else can be said about you guys; you'd always respected that expertise. Whenever a decision had to be made in your respective areas of expertise, it was easy for the other person to defer to the expert's opinion. You might not have always agreed with it, but you trusted that the other person knew what he/she was doing.

"And then you became good friends and even though your lives started to overlap, the decisions each of you made still primarily affected only the person making them. Sure, you advised each other and gave your opinions but at the end of the day, you respected the other person's right to make whatever decisions they wanted to make."

"Booth always nagged whenever I made a decision he didn't agree with," Brennan couldn't help but point out.

"Yes," Angela agreed with a nod. "But at the end, he supported whatever you decided; because even though he was your friend and cared for you, you were just friends and your life and his were separate. But when you became a couple that changed. It was no longer your life and his but your lives. Suddenly, the decisions you made affected not only yourself but the other person too. What's more your decisions not only affected you and him but also Parker, since he's such a big part of Booth's life. And neither of you knew how to handle it.

"As much as you loved each other and as ready as you were for the next step in your relationship," Angela paused to think things through and make sure she was saying what she needed to say, "you guys hadn't really thought how things were going to change. I think deep down you thought that things were going to continue as they had been – with some added physical benefits. And when that wasn't the case, you didn't know how to handle it.

"You hadn't ever really been in a relationship where you needed to take the other person's feelings and thoughts into account when making a decision and he was used to being in a relationship with you but still being in charge of his life. And," she added, "you guys are both incredibly stubborn, opinionated, and have very different opinions about some basic things in life – and neither one wanted to be the one to give in. I think, for a while there, you were locked in a struggle for control of the relationship. Until you finally figured out that it wasn't about who was in charge but about making decisions that both could live with; about making sure that both your needs were met and that sometimes one would be in charge and then other times it'd be the other person." She stopped to take a breath and then added, "I'm just glad that you did finally figure it out."

After a silence, where Brennan digested everything she'd just heard, she said, "But you never said anything."

"What could I say?" Angela asked with a shrug. "You guys already had enough on your plate and neither one was ready to hear me. Besides, I had already meddled enough in your relationship. You guys had to figure it out by yourselves."

"You always said that we could work it out, though," Brennan pointed out.

"Because I always thought you could. Sweetie," Angela added, as she squeezed Brennan's hand. "Just because I had a moment or two of doubt about you two making it, doesn't mean that I ever doubted the strength of your feelings or the fact that you guys belong together. It just means that for a while there, I was afraid that your incredibly stubborn natures would get the better of you and you would let go of the best thing that has ever happened to either one of you. I'm very happy that wasn't the case."

"But some people weren't, were they?" Brennan asked, after a few moment's of silence.

"No, some people weren't," Angela agreed. "Some people would have liked to see you two fail. But that's human nature, I'm afraid."

"It is?" Brennan asked, surprised. It would never occur to her to wish ill on anyone.

"Yes, unfortunately, it is," Angela asserted. "Some people are envious and jealous of anyone that is happy. And you guys, well, you guys have it all, don't you? You're two strong, attractive people with successful careers, that are involved in a successful relationship, with the love of your lives. You two have it all; and some people would have been more than happy to see you two lose some of it."

"Was Cam one of those people?" Brennan asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer but curious nonetheless, giving the pathologist's past relationship with Booth.

"No, of course not," Angela answered firmly and immediately. "You and Cam may never become best friends, but she is your friend and wouldn't wish you ill. Besides whatever she had with Booth is in the past, and she is very fond of him and only wants him to be happy. She's known for a long time that you're what makes him happy."

Brennan nodded her understanding even as she gave a silent sigh of relief. "Did she have any doubts too?"

"Yes," Angela answered simply. "You have to admit you had some pretty rocky times your first few months together," Angela pointed out, almost apologetically.

Brennan nodded again; the first few months had been very rocky. The speculation, gossip and interest about their relationship had been pretty heavy and she hadn't known how to deal with it; she wasn't used to such intense focus on her personal life and it had put a great stress on her, which, in time had turned into a significant stress on the relationship. Combined with the normal growing pains of a new relationship and the problems Angela had just explained, it was no wonder that they had been having a big fight almost every other day. Sometimes, when Brennan thought back to those days, even she was surprised they'd made it as far as they had.

"I guess we did," she said in a thoughtful voice. "What about Hodgins and Zack? Did they have the same doubts?"

"Well," Angela answered, with her first smile in the last few minutes. "You know Zack; I don't think he really understood that you two had gotten together until months after and if he noticed something different, I'm sure he didn't understand it. And Jack," she paused and added with a chuckle, "it turns out that Jack is a hopeless romantic and always reassured me that you two would make it."

Brennan laughed along with Angela but privately thought that it was ironic the only person that seemed to have not had any doubts about her relationship with Booth was the conspiracy nut and not her best friend. Before she could comment on that, however, Booth walked up to their table.

"Hey, ladies," he said, as he leaned forward and kissed Brennan's bare shoulder. "How are you doing?"

"Hey, handsome," Angela responded with a smile as Booth sat next to his wife. "We're fine. How are you enjoying your party?"

"A lot," he answered with a grin, as he brought his wine glass to his lips. "Though, I'll enjoy it more now that I've made the rounds and can stay by my wife's side for the rest of the evening," he added with a grin, even after two years, he got a kick every time he said 'my wife.' He didn't think it'd ever get old.

"I was just telling Bren here," Angela said, knowing that there was more to the story than they'd said and wanting to know what it was. "That you don't look old enough to be giving up field work, and, voluntarily!"

"Yeah, well," Booth said, as he smiled innocently at Angela. "I may not look it but the old reflexes are not what they used to be."

"Ummm," Angela said, not sounding as though she believed that for a moment. She had, after all, seen him bring down a suspect with one shot after a ten minute pursuit the week before. She _knew_ his reflexes were as good as ever. "And," she added. "I can't believe that Brennan is also giving up the field work."

"Angela," she answered the implied question, for what seemed like the thousandth time, "You know I don't want to go into the field with anyone but Booth."

"Yes, I know," Angela agreed and the look in her eyes let them know she was going to keep pressing, so Booth decided to execute a strategic retreat.

"So, wife," he said, with a smirk when Brennan automatically frowned at the nickname. She would rather be called 'Bones' than 'wife'. "How about a dance with your dear, old, husband?"

"You're not old, Booth," she said, as she pushed to her feet. "But I'll dance with you regardless." He laughed and stood up, putting his hand on her waist to lead her to the dance floor.

"Wait here," she told him a few seconds later, as an idea popped into her head. "I'll be right back; I want to request a song."

"You want to request . . .?" He started to ask, but she had already hurried away towards the DJ. He just shook his head thinking that he should really be used to all the surprises she threw his way by now.

A few moments later, she was back and with a beautiful smile on her face stepped into his arms. Before he could ask her what song she had requested, the first notes of Shania Twain's 'You're Still the One" could be heard and the DJ was saying the dedication: "From Temperance to Seeley: Despite it all, we're still here. And I love you more now than I did five years ago. Congratulations on the promotion!"

"Temperance," he began to say, beyond touched at the gesture since he knew how much she disliked public displays of affection.

"Shhh," she said, putting a finger to his lips. "I know. Let's just listen to the song and dance." When he nodded, she laid her head on his shoulder and he tightened his grip on her waist and laid his head on top of hers, as they moved to the songs mellow beat and sang the lyrics to each other:

_(When I first saw you, I saw love. And the first time you touched me, I felt love. And after all this time, you're still the one I love.) _

Looks like we made it  
Look how far we've come my baby  
We mighta took the long way  
We knew we'd get there someday 

_Bridge:__  
They said, "I bet they'll never make it"  
But just look at us holding on  
We're still together still going strong _

"Did you ever think we'd be here?" Brennan couldn't resist asking. "Back when we first met, I mean."

"Back when you thought I was narrow-minded philistine, you mean?" he asked her, with a grin.

"I never thought you were a philistine," she protested with a frown. "Narrow-minded, maybe," she allowed with a grin. "Arrogant. and full of yourself, definitely," she added. in a thoughtful tone.

"Yes, well, back to your question," he said. after shaking his head, "No, I didn't; not at first, at least. I think I didn't let myself go there."

"I know what you mean," she said with a nod, before letting her head fall back onto his shoulder and going back to enjoying the song.

_Chorus:  
(You're still the one)  
You're still the one I run to  
The one that I belong to  
You're still the one I want for life  
(You're still the one)  
You're still the one that I love  
The only one I dream of  
You're still the one I kiss good night Ain't nothin' better  
We beat the odds together  
I'm glad we didn't listen_

"Did all the talk back when we got together," she said after a few moments, "ever make you doubt that we could make it?" She asked after a brief internal debate. Just like she'd never talked about this with Angela, she'd never brought it up with Booth either.

"Did I . . . ?" Booth repeated, surprised. "Of course not!! How can you ask that?" He asked her, bewildered that she would even think that.

"So, you never doubted that we would make it?" she pressed, needing to finally talk about it.

"Of course . . ." he started to categorically deny any such thing but the look in her eyes stopped him. He took a deep breath and told her the truth, because he had never told her anything less than that. "Yes, I had a few moments of doubts, – Temperance, we were fighting a lot those first few months. But I always knew I loved you and that you loved me and I never doubted that we wanted to make it work or that we could. But yes, there were moments I wondered if we would; though they were never prompted by what someone else had said." He paused for a moment and then asked, "Can you tell me you didn't have those moments too?"

"No," she said softly, relieved he had been honest. She found that, strangely enough, she felt better knowing he had had doubts too. "I had those moments too. But they never lasted long and they always made me more determined to try harder."

"Yes," he nodded, glad they were on the same page. "Me too. But we made it and here we are."

"Yes," she agreed with a sweet smile. "Here we are," and with that they lost each other in the song again.

_Bridge:  
They said, "I bet they'll never make it"  
But just look at us holding on  
We're still together still going strong  
(You're still the one)  
You're still the one I run to  
The one that I belong to  
You're still the one I want for life  
(You're still the one)  
You're still the one that I love  
The only one I dream of  
You're still the one I kiss good night_

_I'm so glad we made it  
Look how far we've come my baby _

"I'm so glad we made it," he repeated softly when the song ended, leaning forward to kiss her. She kissed him back and they got lost in each other until the hoots and applause brought them back. They grinned at each other for a few minutes and started to dance to the next song. A few minutes later, he broke the comfortable silence.

"So, Angela suspects something's up, doesn't she?" he asked with a grin.

"Did you really think she wouldn't?" she asked back.

"Nope," he answered without a moment's thought. "And you still want to wait to tell her?"

"Yes," she answered simply. "I want to wait for the first trimester to be over before we tell anyone."

"Ok," he said, as his grin widened as it had every time the subject was brought up, which had been every few minutes since they found out she was pregnant. "I can't believe we're having a baby!" he said in an excited whisper.

"Me neither," she answered with a rueful smile. "I'm still not sure how you talked me into marrying you, let alone get pregnant!"

"Yeah, well, it must have been my natural charm," he said with his charm smile.

"Must have been," she agreed. Then she got serious and told him, "I love you; nothing and no one else in the world would have gotten me to agree to either of those things."

"I know," he said seriously. "And I love you more for it." With a gentle grin, he leaned forward and they once again got lost in the magic of their love.


	2. Chapter 2

**You're Still the One**

**Disclaimer: **Nope, not mine. Wish they were, then I could really make them have some fun!

**A/N:** So, I didn't plan to this but since you all asked so nicely, I started thinking and I discovered that I did have a bit more to say. I too wanted to see who Angela would react to the news; I just love her, don't you? But I wanted to go a somewhat different path from what you guys where expecting; it's still fluff, you know me, but just a different kind. I think it works, let me know what you think. But since I've been writing these one shots, I haven't had much time to work on Aliens. I haven't abondoned it, I'm still working on it. It's just that musie, for some reason, is liking these one shot songics. I'm sure she'll get tired of them soon enough, meanwhile, please bear with me while I accomodate her. I'm still working on Aliens, as I've said, and should have the second chapter out by this weekend at most. But I think I'll have another one shot out before then. And I'm thinking about adding one shots to bridge the four year gap between Starting Point and Breaking Point; my last one shot: Shelter, Sanctuary and Support did that and started me thinking maybe I could add a few more. Ok, as always I want to thank Puppet for her help betaing and Red for her feedback. Now, please, read, enjoy and review!!!

One more thing, the song at the end is called "Cancion de Cuna" by Carlos Ponce. He wrote it when he and his wife were expecting their first child. I thought it fit what Booth would be feeling to a T, even the religous references.

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**Chapter 2**

"No, no, no," Brennan said, as she discarded one garment after another. "No, darn it. No, no," she kept saying, shaking her head and getting increasingly agitated and loud. "No, this won't work either. No, no, no! ARG!! Shoot!!!!"

"What? What?" Booth asked, as he hurried back into their bedroom from the kitchen. "What's wrong?" He asked again, as he came to stop at the sight that greeted him: Brennan standing in her underwear in front of her closet, with a myriad of pants, skirts and dresses around her feet and another skirt tight in her right hand while she scowled at the row of clothes in front of her.

"What's wrong is that nothing fits me," she told him, as she turned that scowl on him. She was flushed with the irritation she felt and he could swear she was seconds away from stomping her feet onto the floor. He had to bite his lip to keep the smirk he felt coming out from emerging. He knew that if he even smiled a little, she would let him have it. "Don't you even think about smiling!" she told him severely, proving once again that she had mind reading abilities where he was concerned. "It's your fault that none of my clothes fit!"

"I know, Bones," he said, manfully containing the smirk that still threatened to emerge and swallowing the automatic 'yes, dear' that rose to his lips at her tone.

"Don't patronize me, Booth," she told him sharply, as she turned back to study her closet. "What the heck am I supposed to wear now?" she demanded in as a close to a whine, as Dr. Brennan ever got.

"You know, Bones," he said slowly, feeling his way, not wanting to upset her any more than she already was. "It might be time for you to go maternity clothes shopping."

"You know I hate going shopping, Booth," she told him, as she re-hung the skirt she had been holding and began pushing and pulling through the clothes still hanging in her closet.

"I know," he repeated. "But you're going to have to sooner or later," he argued, very logically, he thought. "You can't keep going through this little dance every morning. Your regular clothes don't fit you anymore," he raised his hand at the frown she threw his way. "I'm sorry," he hastily apologized before swallowing hard and continuing. "But it's the truth; and look on the bright side," he added quickly before she could start berating him again. "You can go with Angela. I'm sure she's dying to get you out to the shops. Actually, I'm surprised she hasn't dragged you out yet."

"Yes, well," she said as she walked further into her closet.

"I thought that'd be the first thing she'd do after you told her you were pregnant," he continued thoughtfully. "In fact, I'm surprised she hasn't called to congratulate me yet. I thought I'd have gone deaf from the scream when . . ." he trailed off, as he finally saw her stiff back. "You have told Angela we're pregnant, haven't you?"

"Well," she began, as she turned to look at him. "I meant to but . . ."

"Bones!" he reprimanded, when she stopped speaking, and shifted her gaze. "You were supposed to tell her about the baby once the first trimester was over."

"I know," she said as she sighed and walked towards the bed. "I know," she repeated, as she flopped onto the bed and looked up at him. "And I meant to, really, more than a few times. But every time I tried, I just . . ." she shook her head and turned her gaze to the pants she was twisting in her hands.

"You just, what, Bones?" He asked, as he moved to sit next to her and gently took the pants from her. "What happened?

"I'm not sure," she finally admitted, as she turned to look at him. "I think . . . maybe I didn't want to tell her because then everyone would know and then . . . then, things would change. And I'm not sure I'm ready for them to change."

"Ah, Temperance," he said, as he took her hands and looked into her eyes. "I know this is hard on you. What with all the changes you're going through, but, Bones, you're pregnant. We're going to have a baby in a few months. Things are going to change – that's what happens when you have a baby. It's kinda late for you to change your mind now."

"I'm not changing my mind," she reassured him when she heard the note of vulnerability in his voice. "I want the baby; I love him or her already," she added, with a hint of awe in her voice, making him smile widely and squeeze her hands. "But I don't want the staff at the lab treating me differently. I just want to be treated as Dr. Temperance Brennan and not as a fragile pregnant woman. And I have a feeling that's exactly what's going to happen once everyone knows."

"Well," he said slowly. "I don't know that anyone can ever think of you as fragile. But, since you are a pregnant woman, chances are they are going to think of you as pregnant and might even change their attitudes towards you somewhat. But hey, look at it this way," he added with a smirk, "you can now yell at whoever you want, whenever you want, without needing a reason, and no one's going to say anything."

"Why would I yell at anyone if I didn't have a reason?" she wanted to know. "And even with a reason, I don't yell at people," she argued. "I, at most, forcibly stress my point, but there's no need to yell. Everyone at the Jeffersonian understands . . ."

"Ok, ok," he said, holding up his hand to stop the lecture. "Forget I said that. But the point still stands, Bones. You have to tell them; you won't be able to hide it for much longer anyway. Besides, while Angela will understand why you kept it from her during the first trimester, I doubt she'll be that understanding if you keep it from her for much longer - or worse yet, if she were to find out by accident or from someone else."

"She wouldn't like that," she told him, wide eyed.

"No, she'd probably be very hurt," he added.

"You're right," she said, after a few moments, with a decisive nod. "I'll tell her today; I'll take her to lunch and tell her."

"Good," he agreed and leaned forward to kiss her on the lips. "I'm glad."

"She'll be happy," though it was said as a statement, he heard the question in her tone.

"Yes, she'll be very happy," he agreed with a grin. "And she'll drag you out shopping this weekend, I bet."

"Yes, I'm sure she will," she said, as if predicting her doom, and he laughed out loud, as he stood up, and pulled her to her feet too.

"Now, come on," he told her, as he clapped his hands. "Finish getting ready or we'll be late for work."

"Yes, ok," she said, looking at the clothes that littered the floor in front of the closet. "I guess I'll wear the same jeans I've been wearing," she added, with a sigh. "And maybe one of your shirts," she added, with a look that dared him to argue with her.

"Everything I have is yours," he said sincerely, knowing better than to even think anything different.

"It better be," she murmured, as she walked towards the closet. "After everything I'm going through to bring _your_ child into the world, there better be nothing that's off limits to me," she continued to mumble, as she started to choose a shirt while he shook his head and grinned.

"Come out when you're ready," he told her, as he started to walk out of the bedroom. "Breakfast is almost ready."

"I'm not that hungry," she called back. "I'll just have a glass of juice and toast."

"Nope," he argued back cheerfully. "You need to eat better than that. I'm making scrambled eggs and they're almost done, so hurry up."

She shook her head, knowing it was useless to argue. He'd always been overprotective, but he'd gotten almost overwhelmingly so after they found out she was pregnant. And her only chance for a respite was if he turned his focus towards the baby once he/she was born. With a sigh, she apologized to her unborn child for wishing such a thing. And, really, if life with Parker had taught her anything, it was that Booth was quite capable of being overprotective of everyone in his life.

With a smirk, she finally chose one of his favorite Armani shirts. She knew it was petty, but given her circumstances that was the only form of revenge available to her. And like she said, it was his fault that she didn't fit into her own clothes anymore. It was only fair that he didn't get to wear his favorite clothes either.

----------------

A couple of hours later Booth was busy on the phone when out of the corner of his eye he saw movement by his office door. He turned his head and found Angela standing there. He waved her inside and said into the phone, "Yes, that's fine. Send it over as soon as you can. Yes. Thank you."

After hanging up the phone, he turned his attention back to Angela and saw that she hadn't really moved. "Come in and take a seat," he invited, noticing how tense the usually easy-going artist seemed. "Is something wrong, Angela? You look edgy."

"That's what I've come here to ask you, Booth," she said, confusing him even more.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, Angela," Booth said, with a shake of his head and a smile that showed his genuine confusion. "You're going to have to be more specific than that. And please sit down," he added, since she still hadn't taken a seat. She was standing by the chairs, twisting the strap of her purse between her hands and shifting her weight from foot to foot. Except for the time Brennan and Hodgins had been taken by the gravedigger, he had never seen her so worked up and he was starting to worry.

With a sigh, she finally sat down. She looked straight into his eyes, from across his desk, and after taking a deep breath, she finally asked, "Booth, if there was something wrong you would tell me, right? Even if Bren didn't want to tell me, if you thought I needed to know, you would let me know, right?" She asked anxiously, and Booth began to get a nasty feeling that he knew where this was going.

"Angela," he said, as he played with his pen. "I don't know what you want me to say. That's such a general statement, I can't . . ."

"Booth, please," Angela interrupted him. "Don't; don't play semantics with me. You know what I mean."

"I," he had begun, but when he saw how genuinely worried she was, he sighed and answered, "Yes, I knew what you meant. And if there was something you needed to know, I'd tell you."

"Even if Brennan didn't want to tell me?" she pressed.

"Even if Bones didn't want to tell you," he agreed.

"Ok, good," she said, sighing deeply and seeming to relax a bit into the chair. "Now, could you please tell me what is going on?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to play dumb, even as he thought, _darn it,_ _Bones, I told you, you needed to talk to Angela._

"Don't play dumb with me, Booth," Angela said, proving that Bones was not the only one that knew him well enough to almost read his mind. "I know you're smarter than that. I want to know what's going on with Brennan. Are you two fighting or something?"

"Are we . . .?" he started to ask, surprised once again. "No," he said, shaking his head in emphasis. "No, we're not fighting. We're fine."

"Then what is it?" she asked again. "What is going on?" she asked again.

"What makes you think something is wrong?" he asked, instead of answering, trying to buy some time.

Angela thought about telling him not to play with her, but one look into his eyes had her sighing and answering honestly. "There's just something . . . off about how she's been acting lately," she finally said. "First there was the whole thing with your promotion."

"My promotion?" he asked, "what was wrong with my promotion?"

"There was nothing wrong with it," she told him. "But there was something odd about her reaction."

"Odd?" he asked, feeling somewhat insulted. "What was odd about it? She was happy and proud of me."

"Exactly," she said, and then hastened to add, as she saw his face. "Not that there's anything wrong with her being happy for you or proud of you but, come on, Booth! She not only accepted your promotion without protest but she also voluntarily gave up field work."

"She just doesn't want to work out in the field with anyone else," he said, repeating the explanation they'd given time and again since Brennan announced her decision.

"Booth," she said, in an overly patient voice. "This is me you're talking to. I know Brennan and I know how much she enjoys her field work. Yes, sure, you guys might like it better when it's you she's going out with, but she's quite capable of working with other agents. She's done it before. And she knows and gets along fairly well with Agent Andrews," she said, naming Booth's replacement as the FBI liaison to the Jeffersonian. "I know that there has to be more than that for her to give up field work without a fight," she told him firmly.

"Angela," he began, with no idea what he was going to tell her.

"But it's more than that," she continued, ignoring his attempt to talk. Now that she's started talking about what had been bothering her, she found it hard to stop. "It's also how she's been acting in general. She . . ." she shook her head and then said, "It's almost as if she were sick, Booth."

"She's rarely at work before 9 and is usually gone by 6," she said this almost as if she was accusing Brennan of a grievous crime.

"Come on, Angela," he said with a grin, trying to reassure her. "I've been trying to get her to work more normal hours for years; sounds like I finally succeeded. But I don't know why you're surprise," he continued. "She's been cutting her hours since we got together."

"Yes, but this is different," she insisted. "Before she would still stay late whenever you worked late; which was usually at least twice a week, since you're a workaholic too. But now she hasn't stayed late or arrived there early in almost a month. And she always seems to be tired. I've actually caught her napping on her office couch three times in the last week and yet, she has bags under her eyes, as if she wasn't getting enough sleep.

"Also," she added, gathering speed. "She's been sick to her stomach a lot; she seems more irritable than usual; she's gotten dizzy at least half a dozen times, she's got a headache practically every afternoon and I'm pretty sure her back is bothering her." By the time she finished speaking, she had named every symptom Brennan had experienced since getting pregnant and Booth once more though how eerily observant this woman was; she'd make one hell of an agent.

"Have you asked Bones about it?" Booth asked, when she finally felt silent.

"Yes, of course I have," Angela answered, impatiently.

"What did she say?" Booth asked, knowing very well what Brennan had said, but having no idea how he was going to get out of this. He didn't want to be the one to tell Angela about the baby; he knew that was something that would be better coming from Brennan. But he also didn't want to send Angela away without a good explanation, she was really worried about Brennan, and it didn't seem fair to not allay her fears. For the second time he mentally chastised Brennan for not coming clean when she was supposed to.

"She told me some half-baked story about having the stomach flu or some such nonsense," she said, with a wave of her hands, as if to wave that explanation away. "But the stomach flu does not last more than three weeks," she said firmly, giving Booth her most earnest stare. "So, I know that can't be it. But I know something is going on and I want you to tell me because it's obvious Brennan won't."

Booth just looked at her, torn about what to do, until she entreated once more, "Booth, please. I know something is wrong. Just tell me what it is, please. Is Brennan sick? She's not . . . dying, is she?"

Booth sighed, and dropped the pen he had been playing with before rubbing his hands over his face. After that last appeal, he knew he was going to have to be the one to tell her their news. Brennan wouldn't like it; she had wanted to be the one to tell her, but there was no way Booth could put Angela off with empty platitudes and vague excuses. Angela was too smart to buy any of them. To keep denying that something was up, when she clearly knew something was, was an insult to her intelligence and a betrayal of her friendship. He just hoped Brennan wouldn't be too sad when she heard what he'd done – or too mad for that matter.

"Angela," he finally said. "Bones is not sick."

"Booth," she protested, scooting forward on the chair and leaning towards him. "Something's wrong. I know it is," she insisted firmly. "Please, tell me what it is."

"Angela," he repeated. "You're right, something is going on. But Bones is not sick, I promise you," he told her firmly and looked into her eyes so she'd know he wasn't lying.

"But then what is it?" she asked again, perplexed.

"All those symptoms you mentioned," he said slowly, trying to figure out how to say it. "You're right, she's had them. But they're also indicative of something besides an illness, Angela," he told her meaningfully, waiting for her to catch on. Actually, he was surprised that she hadn't figured it out already. He watched as her face slowly changed from slightly indignant, to confused, to amazed, and finally surprised, as she slowly came to the right conclusion.

"You mean . . .?" she started to ask, only to trail off before trying again. "Pre. . . preg . . . You mean Brennan is pregnant?" she finally managed to ask.

"Yes," he said simply with a nod. "We're expecting a baby."

"But, but," she said, blinking and closing her mouth after nothing intelligible came out of it. After taking a deep breath and closing her eyes to gather her thoughts, she tried again. "How?"

"The usual way," Booth answered with a grin. It was a most unusual sight to see the always composed artist so befuddled.

"I know that," she told him, with a small frown. "I meant, I didn't think Brennan would ever get pregnant. She'd always been most insistent about not wanting any kids."

"I know," Booth nodded.

"So, how is she?" she asked. "Is she happy?"

"Yes, she is," he told her sincerely. "We both are."

"Of course you are," she said, as if that was a given. "You've always wanted more kids."

"I'd have been happy with just Parker, if she hadn't changed her mind," he defended himself. "But I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to have a baby with the love of my life."

"Are you sure she changed her mind?" Angela inquired. "I mean, was it an accident or on purpose?"

"A bit of both," Booth answered with half a smile.

"How can it be a bit of both?" she asked, confused. "You either try for it or it's an accident. It can't be both."

"Well," he drawled, as he picked up the pen and started playing with it again. "We'd starting talking about it a few months ago. She really loves Parker and she'd starting thinking that maybe it'd be good to have a baby. But well," he shrugged, "she couldn't decide so she decided to leave it up to fate and stopped using birth control."

"_Brennan_ decided to leave it up to fate?" Angela asked, incredulously.

"I know," he said, nodding. "Took me completely by surprise too, but . . ." he trailed off, with another shrug.

"Booth," she began slowly, wanting to get the next question just right. "Are you sure she got pregnant because she wanted it and not because you . . .?"

"Not because I wanted a baby?" he finished the question for her. At her nod, he sighed deeply and leaned back on his chair. "I wondered about that," he finally said. "And to be fair, I do think that that is part of it."

"Well, do you think that's a good enough reason for her to get pregnant?" she asked, not wanting to insult him, but disturbed at the possibility that her best friend had gone against her beliefs, just to make her husband happy. With an internal frown, she rethought that and couldn't believe she'd had that thought in association with Dr. Temperance Brennan.

"No, of course not," he answered simply, and quickly. "I wouldn't even want her to be pregnant if that were the only reason she was doing it."

"Then you think she really wants the baby?" she asked hopefully, because there was nothing more she'd like than to see a Booth/Brennan baby.

"Yes, deep down, she does," he assured her. "I mean when have you ever known Temperance to ever do something she doesn't want to do?" When she shook her head, he went on. "Besides, I think deep down she needs to have the baby."

"She needs to?" she asked, skeptically. Maybe Booth wasn't as in touch with Brennan as he thought and was just deluding himself.

"Yes," he said firmly. "You know her past, Angela. You know that she stopped having a family when she was fifteen. And though her brother and father are back in her life and even though we're married and she has Parker and me, I think she needs to have someone that's hers – that comes from her and who will depend on her and won't be able to leave. In short, she needs to have a family and make sure that that family stays safe, secure and happy - the things she lost at fifteen."

"That's why you guys retired from the field," Angela said, with a nod.

"Yes," Booth agreed. "FBI field work is dangerous. My taking the promotion out of the field and Bones opting to stay in the lab makes our jobs a lot less dangerous."

"Yes, I can see that," Angela nodded. "So, she's really happy?"

"Yes, she really is," Booth again reassured Angela with a smile.

"How far along is she?" she asked, beginning to get truly excited now.

"Fifteen weeks," he told her and watched a hurt expression fleet through her face before it disappeared. "Angela," he began but, she interrupted him.

"When were you guys planning on telling the rest of us?" she asked, in a voice that tried to hide her hurt, but wasn't very successful.

"We were waiting for the first trimester before saying anything," he said softly. "You know how it is, wanting to make sure everything is ok before saying anything." She nodded and he went on, "Besides, we wanted and needed some time to get used to the idea and for it to be just us. Especially Bones, as much as she wants this . . . well, it's been sort of hard on her. She's had a lot to deal with, not only the physical and emotional changes but she's also had to come to terms with how much her outlook has changed. And that isn't easy."

"No, I imagine it's not," she agreed. "But Booth, the first trimester ended three weeks ago. Why hasn't she said anything? Especially when I'd asked her time and time again what was wrong?"

"I know," he said softly. "She was supposed to tell you a few weeks ago."

"Then why hasn't she?" she asked, the hurt evident in her tone.

"Angela, it's not because of you," he told her, very firmly. "Really, she wanted to tell you. It's just that. . . You know Bones, Angela. As happy as she is, she's also scared. She doesn't want things to change; she doesn't want to be treated any differently."

"Booth," she said, almost exasperatedly. "She's having a baby!! Things are already changing and people are going to treat her differently. That's just how things are."

"I know," he agreed, with a small chuckle. "I've told her that; but you know her, she's stubborn and does not want to be treated as if she were fragile. Plus," he added what he'd been thinking since Brennan told him she hadn't yet announced her pregnancy at work. "I think she thinks that as long as she doesn't tell anyone else that she's pregnant, then the baby is not real yet."

"That's . . ." Angela trailed off, with a frown, as if she didn't know what it was.

"Not logical?" he prompted. "No, it's not. But she's pregnant; her hormones are all over the place. She's not exactly rational right now. But in a way she's not wrong. As long as she doesn't tell anyone, no one will treat her differently. What's more, as long as no one knows, she won't have to deal with their questions, expectations, speculations. As long as it's just us that know, as long as it's our secret, she doesn't have to share the baby with anyone. And she doesn't have to face just how much her life – our life will change."

"So, she's hiding?" Angela asked, again not something that one would automatically associate with Dr. Temperance Brennan, but when she thought about it, it made sense. It wouldn't be the first time she'd done it.

"Yes, in a way," Booth agreed. "But she was planning on telling you today, Angela. She really was, and was hoping that you'd want to go shopping soon."

"She was hoping?" she asked him, raising one eyebrow.

"Well," he corrected himself, with a grin, "Maybe not so much wishing as dreading."

"Yes," Angela agreed, with a small chuckle. "That sounds a lot more like Bren." She then paused before smiling, really big, and almost jumping up and down on her chair. "Oh, my, God. Oh, my, God! You and Bren are going to have a baby!! Oh, my, God!!" She then clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle a scream, before jumping up from her seat and demanding, as she walked to the end of his desk, "Get over here so I can hug you and congratulate you properly."

Booth laughed and pushed back from the desk, before walking around it and hugging Angela back.

"I'm so happy for you guys," she told him.

"Thanks, Ang," he said, as they pulled back. "Are you going to tell Bones you know? Or let her surprise you?"

"I'm telling her," she said decisively.

"Ok," he said, with a nod, and then asked with a hopeful grin, "You think you can tell her that it wasn't my fault and that you browbeat it out of me?"

Angela laughed and gave him another hug before saying her goodbyes and hurrying to the Jeffersonian.

Forty minutes later, she walked into the lab and went straight to the platform where Brennan, Hodgins, Zack and Cam were all working. She swiped her card and marched up the steps before dropping her purse by Hodgins station. She then walked right up to Brennan, who was looking at her with a puzzled look on her face.

"Angela where have . . ." she started to ask, when Angela pulled her into a hug, making the rest of the question come out as "Ummph."

"Angela," she said again, as she tried to pull back a bit, even as she returned the hug. "What's going on?"

"I'm so happy for you, Bren," Angela said in lieu of an answer, "So, so happy."

"Ok," Brennan said slowly, awkwardly patting Angela's back. "Are you crying?" she asked, alarmed when she heard what sounded suspiciously like a sniffle coming from the vicinity of Angela's head.

"I'm very happy for you and Booth," Angela said again, ignoring everyone but Brennan.

"You said that alr. . ." Brennan started to say before she stopped, and finally managed to pull back, at least enough to look at Angela in the face. "Angela, why are you happy for me and Booth?" she asked instead, very quietly.

"I know, Bren," Angela said with a huge grin. "I talked to Booth," she added, just as quietly as Brennan. "Don't be mad at him, Bren," she hastened to add, when she saw the frown forming on Brennan's face. "I sort of forced him to tell me what was going on."

"You did?" Brennan asked, with a small smile. She'd have like to see that, it wasn't everyday that anyone forced Seeley Booth to do anything he didn't want to do.

"Yes," Angela said, with a nod and a smile.

"But, why?" Brennan asked, curiously.

"Because I knew something was going on and you weren't telling me," Angela answered. "And I was afraid that it was something bad that you didn't want to tell me. I waited as long as I could, but I couldn't wait any more and I went to see Booth. I knew he'd tell me the truth."

"I'm sorry, Angela," Brennan apologized. "I was going to tell you today; I promise I was."

"I know," Angela said. "Booth told me. But it doesn't matter now. The only thing that matters is that I'm so happy for you guys!! I can't believe it. You're pregnant! You're going to have a baby!!"

"I know," Brennan said, grinning like a school girl. Surprisingly, the two friends had managed to keep their conversation low enough that no one had heard them; so they were more than surprised to see Brennan grinning like that. "Isn't it amazing?" she asked Angela, as the two giggled and hugged again.

"Ok," Hodgins said, coming closer to the two embracing friends. "That's enough. You have got to tell us what is going on!"

Brennan and Angela pulled apart and after exchanging a meaningful glance, Brennan turned to look at her co-workers and after a deep breath told them her news, "Booth and I are expecting."

"Expecting what?" Zack asked, as the rest of the team rushed to hug and congratulate her.

-----------------

Ten months later, Booth was sitting on his living room couch, watching his son and daughter play together, on a blanket that was spread on the living room floor. Brennan was taking a much deserved nap, while he enjoyed some time with his children. Children, what a wonderful word and just as impossible to grow tired of using as wife was.

_Tu llegada dio sonrisa a muchas almas/ your arrival brought a smile to a lot of souls  
cuántos planes hemos hecho para ti,/ how many plans we've made for you  
si supieras cuántas noches he pasado sin dormir/ if you knew how many sleepless nights I've spent  
y otras tantas te he soñado junto a mí/ and how many others I've dreamt you next to me_

With a smile, he remembered the day Joyce was born. Next to the first time he held Parker, and the day he married Brennan, it was the best moment of his life. His smile turned into a grin, as he remembered the squints meeting Joyce for the first time; how pleased but awkward they'd been. Especially Zack!

_Tu mirada es más intensa de lo que jamás pensé/ your gaze is more intense than I've ever could thought  
tu sonrisa me regala paz ingénua/ your smile grants me naïve peace  
todavía no has pecado pero ya sabes querer/ you haven't sinned yet, but you already know how to love  
bienvenido a tu primera primavera/ welcome to your first spring _

The last five months had been the best of his life. Having Parker had been amazing; but having Joyce had been beyond amazing. Being married to Brennan and being there for every day of his daughter's life from the moment she had been born made him happier than he'd ever thought he could be. Spending time his kids and Brennan brought him more peace than he'd felt since before he joined the Army.

_Que tengas mis grandes sueños/ I hope you have my big dreams  
y lo tierno de tu madre/ and your mom's tenderness  
que también tengas su imagen/ and also her features  
y mis ansias de vivir/ and my desire to live  
Que Dios envíe a esta tierra/ that God sends to earth  
un ángel que te proteja/ an angel to protect you  
que lo injusto de este mundo/ that the injustices of this world  
no lastime tu existir/ don't hurt your existence  
duerme tranquilo...duerme pequeño/ sleep peacefully . . . sleep little one_

_Sólo espero que mis actos sean ejemplo para ti/ I only hope that my actions be an example for you  
y que crezcas orgulloso de tu padre/ and that you grow up proud of your father  
que conserves con dulsura y con cariño/ that you guard with tenderness and care  
los momentos que contigo yo fui niño/ the moments that I was a child with you_

_Que tengas mis grandes sueños/ I hope you have my big dreams  
y lo tierno de tu madre/ and your mom's tenderness  
que también tengas su imagen/ and also her features  
y mis ansias de vivir/ and my desire to live  
Que Dios envíe a esta tierra/ that God sends to earth  
un ángel que te proteja/ an angel to protect you  
que lo injusto de este mundo/ that the injustices of this world  
no lastime tu existir/ don't hurt your existence _

_duerme tranquilo...duerme pequeño/ sleep peacefully . . . sleep little one  
Sueña tranquilo/ dream peacefully_

He was brought back from his contemplation when he felt his wife's arms go around his neck from behind.

"Hey," he said softly, as he put his hand on top of hers and turned his head to smile up at her. "I thought you were asleep."

"Umm, yes," she said, as she kissed him on the head, before walking around the couch and sitting down next to him. "But I decided that I'd rather rest right here with you guys than all by myself in the bedroom."

"Good," he said, with a smile as he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to his side. "We'd rather have you here with us too." With that, they turned around and watched their children play.


End file.
